To see how things are going in Manama these days, one need only look at the fighting in Damascus. As the possibility that the US and allied forces will conduct a military strike against Syria grows, the deck of cards in Bahrain, the small Gulf archipelago mired in sectarian division, is getting reshuffled.
On Aug. 28, the Bahraini opposition resumed talks with government representatives after a two-month hiatus. But, remarkably, the local media focused on the discussions regarding the Syrian file. The Akhbar al-Khaleej newspaper, which is affiliated with the prime minister, ran a story headlined: “Regional Events Have Strongly Imposed Themselves in the Dialogue Hall.”